Getting rid of pointers and unmanaged code

Question

I've been trying to get rid of the unmanaged code that I'm currently using on my source code after a friend suggested why I shouldn't be using unmanaged code. However I seem to keep facing a couple of issues here and there. For most case scenarios I used Buffer.BlockCopy() as it seemed to be the most adequate method but there are still a few in which I'm not sure what to use.

Basically this is used to handle packets that are sent between a server and a client. WriteInt16 is a function used to write ushortvalues in the byte array for example. (1. is basically just doing this at offset 20 and 22).

I'll leave a couple examples below:

1.

fixed (byte* p = Data)
{
    *((ushort*)(p + 20)) = X;//x is an ushort
    *((ushort*)(p + 22)) = Y;//y is an ushort
}

2.

private byte* Ptr
    {
        get
        {
            fixed (byte* p = PData)
                return p;
        }
    }

3.

public unsafe void WriteInt16(ushort val)
    {
        try
        {
            *((ushort*)(Ptr + Count)) = val;
            Count += 2;
        }
        catch{}
    }

Why don't you use a strong type for whatever this data represents? Side note: I like how it took your friend telling you it was unsafe rather than just realizing that from the keyword unsafe that you have to use. — itsme86
– itsme86, Commented Dec 27, 2016 at 23:11
I knew it was unsafe by the keyword, what I meant is that he explained me why I shouldn't be using unsafe code and its implications — Noobzilla
– Noobzilla, Commented Dec 27, 2016 at 23:18
What is the code supposed to do? It's hard to suggest alternatives when it's not clear what the purpose is. — D Stanley
– D Stanley, Commented Dec 27, 2016 at 23:22
Also an empty catch{} is bad practice whether or not the code is unsafe. — D Stanley
– D Stanley, Commented Dec 27, 2016 at 23:23
Also note that C# code is never "unmanaged". It can be "unsafe" but is is always still "managed" code. — D Stanley
– D Stanley, Commented Dec 27, 2016 at 23:31

Slai · Accepted Answer · 2016-12-27 23:41:34Z

0

Assuming little Endian platform and byte arrays (not tested):

*((ushort*)(p + 20)) = X;

is

Data[20] = (byte)X;
Data[21] = (byte)(X >> 8);

and

*((ushort*)(Ptr + Count)) = val;

is

PData[Count] = (byte)val;
PData[Count + 1] = (byte)(val >> 8);

answered Dec 27, 2016 at 23:41

Slai

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